There comes a horrible moment in every homeowner’s life when they realize their roof needs fixing. Hopefully, it’s just a loose tile, a broken shingle, or a piece of torn felt. Worst case scenario, you could be looking at getting a whole new roof installed, but how do you know if the roofer you’ve picked to do the job is a great tradesman or a cowboy builder?
Picking The Best
In the building and roofing trade, it’s worth spending money and getting the best roofer you can get. Your roof is a vital part of your home, and a poorly installed or poorly maintained roof can cause an incredible amount of heartache, expense, and it may even be dangerous for you and your family.
In an ideal world, you’ll have a lot of time to find the right roofing specialist. However, sometimes accidents, such as a fallen tree, lightning strike, or even a bad storm, can cause damage to your roof that needs fixing straight away. It’s especially important at times like those that you find a trustworthy contractor who will be able to do the job to a high standard.
The Importance of Trust
We’ve all seen the TV shows about cowboy builders who charge for projects and run off with the money, or they half complete it to a poor standard that leaves the homeowners financially out of pocket and emotionally drained.
One of the best ways to avoid being one of those people is to find your builder using local recommendations. Ask your friends and family if they have tradespeople they trust and would recommend.
If you don’t live in an area where you know people enough to ask, look on websites that allow you to give reviews, such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings, or check out your local community centers and Facebook groups, or ask in church for recommendations.
Get A Warranty
This may seem like an odd suggestion, but it’s worth asking your potential roofer if they will guarantee their work. Make sure to get any guarantee in writing.
Contractors who won’t offer any guarantee with their work are to be viewed with suspicion. To begin with, all contractors should be confident enough in their workmanship that they are happy to give some kind of guarantee or warranty upon completing the job.
Asking your contractor about warranties will tell you straight away how he views his work and whether or not he trusts the work he’s undertaking, and whether or not he is likely to be competent at the task at hand.
Take Safety Seriously
Don’t be afraid to really grill your potential contractor on their attitudes to safety. Ask lots of questions about what safety equipment they use, what precautions will be in place (especially health concerns in these uncertain times), and what safety certifications they have to back up their claims.
There are a few safety training programs contractors can go on to get certified on how that they can and will work in a safe way. Be sure to research them yourself and ask your potential contractor about them. If they are at all dismissive or unsure, find someone else to do the work.
Following on from ensuring your contractor has the right safety certifications, it’s also worth checking they have the right licensing and insurance.
Insurance issues can be a huge headache for homeowners, as it can mean lengthy litigation battles if it turns sour. All employees working for the contractors that you hire should be individually insured and able to provide certificates on request.
An important note: Not all states require contractors to be licensed. Most do, and yours definitely should be, but this isn’t a specific legal requirement in all states. Check your local laws to see what your state’s view on licensing is.
Be Aware of Forced Deals
When it comes to roofing, most homeowners are not experts, and this is why you need to hire experts, but unfortunately, this does leave you open to issues such as unscrupulous contractors who will put pressure on to make decisions and sign paperwork when they shouldn’t.
This is especially important if you are making an insurance claim due to damage. You will need to wait for your insurance company to agree to the damages and the estimated cost before you sign your contractors’ paperwork.
Any good contractor will understand this process and, although it may be frustrating for both the contractor and you as a homeowner, they will respect the process because it is designed to protect both sides.
CONVERSATION